Electrical sign.



H. I. BLITS.

ELECTRICAL SIGN. APPLICATION PILED AUG.1,1908.

' Patented May 24, 1910.

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um/14km ANDREW B. awn co. mmn-umonnAPNERS. WASHINGTON. I1 0.

Q/vi I511 eases HARRY I-. BLITS, 0F CLEARFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA-ELECTRIGAIJ SIGrN.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24,. 1910.

Application flled Augfust 1, 1908.- Serial No; 148;493.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known" that I, HARRY I. BLITS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clearfield, in the county of Clearfield' and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrica'l Signs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signs, and particularly toimprovements in illuminated electrical signs, and has for an object theprovision of' a housing formed with a signhoard on one face andinteriorly arranged lamps, and means for variously lighting up andautomatically turning out the same.v

Another object of the invention is the provision of a sign arranged witha plurality of panels upon which" matter to be ad vertised 1s placed,and the. provision of lights of various colors surrounding the same forbringing and flashing out the various advertising matter, moredistinctly, with more colors, and with different effects than heretoforeattempted.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a sign having asignboard, lights for illuminating the same, means for turning on andoff the lights automatically at predetermined times, and means forflashing the lights on and ofi? at predetermined intervals and securingmore brilliant and variegated eifects by lighting the lamps or a portionof them one after the other, in order to produce what is known as thecreeping or serpentine effect.

With these and other objects inview, the invention comprises certainnovel automatic and electrical constructions, combinations, andarrangements, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of acomplete sign, showing means of ordinary or any preferred constructionfor making and breaking the lighting circuit at short intervals, and, ifdesired, for lighting the lamps or a portion of them in successioninstead of all at the same instant. Fig, 2 is an interior view of thesign shown in Fig. 1 with the front face thereof removed. Fig. 3 is asection through a sign approximately on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is asection through Fig. 2 approximately on line 4-4.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a housing of a signprovided with a front plate or face 2; The front face 2' is arrangedwith a plurality of panels 3 preferably of what is known as doublestrength prepared glass or' flash glass. The housing .1 1s enlarged orformed disk-shaped at 4 and that portion of the plate 2 in front of theenlarged portion 4 is formed with panels 5* and 6 constructed ofmaterial similar to panels 3. Arranged on each side of the front plate2' is series of glass disks or lenses 7' and 8 which throw the rays oflightoutward and give a fanciful appearance to the sign. The glass disks7 and 8' are ar-- ranged in border strips 9 and 10 of glass or othermaterial, and conform to the shape :of the edges of the sign. Thevarious disks are formed of different colors so that a vairied effect isproduced; It will be evident ithat if desired all of the glass diskscould ibe of the same color, and also the colored lights be variedwithin the spirit of the invention.

Positioned in housing 1 in the rear of strips 9 and 10 are lamps 11 and12 located preferably directly in the rear of disks 7 and 8. In additionto lights 11 and 12 there are also provided lights 13 and 14 forilluminating panels 3 and 5 and 6. These lights are assisted by some ofthe light from lamps 11 and 12 so that ample light is provided for thevarious panels 3 and 5 and 6, and thereby clearly brings out anyadvertising matter placed thereon. In placing advertising matter on thevarious panels the same is preferably painted there on in transparent orsome light colored paint, but other means may be used for placing thesigns on the panels if so desired. The various lights 11, 12, 13 and 14are preferably electric lights, as shown in Fig. 2, and are connected upwith a time switch 15 that is adapted to switch on the current at anypredetermined time, and then switch the same off at anotherpredetermined time, so that when the clocks 16 and 17 are set any timeduring the day the sign will automatically become illuminated by one ofthe clocks turning the light on at the-desired time. After the sign hasremained illuminated for the desired time, for instance until midnight,the other clock operates for switching off the current, and thus thelights are automatically turned on and off without immediate attention.The next succeeding day an operator may reset the clocks for any desiredtime, and the same will again operate for turning on and off the lightsthe next succeeding night.

In addition to the time-controlled switch 15 which may be of any desiredkind, I arrange a flasher 18 in series with the time switch 15 so thatwhen the time switch 15 switches on the current the flasher 18 willautomatically turn the lights on and off or flash the same in anydesired sequence or with any desired interval between the flashes. Theflasher 18 may be of any construction for automatically turning on andoff the lights after the current has been turned on by time switch 15,and for automatically lighting in succession certain of the lamps inorder to produce a creeping or serpentine efiect. The time switch 15 maybe arranged at any desired point in the housing 1, but preferably isarranged in enlarged portion 4 upon a door 19. When it is desired toreset clocks 16 and 17 the door 19 may be swung outward and the clocksadjusted as may be desired for switching the current on and oil, andthen the door is closed. If desired, the housing 1 may be divided into aplurality of compartments, though ordinarily one large compartment willbe suificient.

By constructing a sign arranged with a plurality of panels that areilluminated at 0 the same time, means are provided for having aplurality of diflerent matters advertised or exhibited and also a signis presented in which a plurality of small concerns may have illuminatedsign advertisements by simply using one or more of the panels 3 or 5 and6, thereby giving them an opportunity to advertise their business byelectrical and automatic devices which individually they would be unableto do on account of the great expense.

What I claim is:

In a sign, a housing, a door arranged in said housing, a clock operatedswitch mounted on said door, said door being pivotally mounted forpermitting free access to said clock mechanism, a plurality oftranslucent advertising panels, a border surrounding said panels, andmeans for illuminating said panels and said border, said means beingadapted to be turned on and off by said clock operated switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY I. BLITS. Witnesses:

E. D. \VHITE, v E. G. FOSTER.

